COOK OF THE WEEK - MAY BEEF MONTH

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Created 05/15/2013 - 7:39am

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By Judy Konecne

May is Beef Month in Iowa and this week’s Cook Column is celebrating the beef industry of Iowa. Iowa is tied for sixth in the nation for the number of cattle in the state. The cattle industry employs 39,366 directly and indirectly throughout the state and contributes $5.1 billion in business activity to Iowa’s economy. (The Iowa Beef Industry Council)
Anyone who has gone to grocery stores knows that there are many different cuts of beef to choose from; and choosing and knowing the best way to prepare those cuts can be daunting. Here is a quick reference to help with those choices:
Pan broiling: Cook meat or other food quickly in an ungreased or lightly greased skillet. This method is good for flat iron steak, boneless chuck eye steak, rib or rib-eye steaks, porterhouse, T-bone, top loin, strip and cubed steaks, and ground beef.
Pan fry: Fry meat or other food starting with a cold skillet, using little or no fat and pouring off fat from meat as it accumulates during cooking. This method is good for flat iron steak, boneless chuck eye steak, rib or rib eye steaks, porterhouse, T-bone, top loin, strip and cubed steaks, and ground beef.
Stir fry: A Chinese method of cooking uniformly sized pieces of food in a small amount of hot oil over high heat, lifting and stirring constantly with a turner or large spoon. This method is good for rib and rib eye, top-loin, strip, sirloin, sirloin-tip, flat iron, skirt and flank steaks.
Grill: A dry heat method of cooking foods directly over charcoal, gas or electric heat, most often without the use of a cover. The intensely hot grids from the grill rack leave desirable marks on foods with direct contact. This method is good for flat iron, boneless chuck eye, rib or rib-eye, porterhouse, top-loin, strip, sirloin, sirloin tip steaks, ground beef and kabob meat.
Broil: Cook directly under a red-hot heating unit. This method is good for flat iron, boneless chuck eye, porterhouse, T-bone, top loin, strip, sirloin, sirloin tip steak, ground beef and kabob meat.
Roast: Cook meat uncovered on a rack in a shallow pan in the oven without adding liquid. This method is good for rump roasts and ground beef.
Braise: A method of cooking used for less-tender cuts of meat and other foods. The food is first browned, then covered and cooked in a small amount of liquid at a low temperature either on top of the range or in the oven for a long period of time until tender. This method is good for boneless country style ribs, short ribs, chuck (arm, blade, shoulder) pot roasts, boneless chuck eye, skirt and flank steak, briskets, rump roasts, and cubed steaks.
Stew: Cook slowly in a small amount of liquid for a long time, as for stewed fruit and beef stew. This method is good for short ribs, chuck (arm, blade, shoulder) pot roasts. boneless, chuck eye steak, brisket and stew beef. (bettycrocker.com; beefitswhatsfordinner.com)
The following recipes are taken from the “Favorites of Iowa” section of iabeef.org.